Community Alliance with Family Farmers

POLICY :: Recommendations for Sonoma County Glassy-winged Sharpshooter Control Program

Submitted by the North Coast Chapter of the Community Alliance with Family Farmers
April 17, 2001

The glassy-winged sharpshooter is an insect pest that carries and spreads Pierce's Disease, which will eventually kill all sorts of grape vines. It is a nearly intractable problem in parts of the southern San Joaquin Valley and Southern California. Winegrape growers in particular are concerned about the pest's potential impact, and have called for widespread, no-exclusion pesticide use if infestation occurs. CAFF proposed the following recommendations that gained the support of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, who in turn recommended them for consideration by the State of California.

The Glassy-winged sharpshooter presents a potentially serious threat to grapevines,the most widely cultivated crop in Sonoma County. It is an important time to work cooperatively to fully understand the nature of the glassy-winged sharpshooter and the possible situations we may face as grapegrowers, nursery owners, organic farmers, and residents of Sonoma County. The North Coast Chapter of the Community Alliance with Family Farmers(CAFF) recognizes two equally important objectives in dealing with this pest. The first is to exclude the pest to prevent widespread economic and ecological damage. Secondly, we must avoid intense community discord and potential unintended health consequences of forced synthetic chemical spraying programs. We believe the most effective GWSS control program will integrate essential industry and community concerns. A widely supported control plan gives our county the best chance of effectively monitoring and excluding the insect. To support this effort, the North Coast chapter of CAFF makes the following recommendations:

  • Exclusion is the primary objective. We support current efforts to keep the GWSS from entering the county through inspection of incoming agricultural products including grapes, grape vines, nursery stock, produce, and any other product that may reasonably be thought to transport any life stage of the sharpshooter.
    • We encourage inspection of all the materials listed above from any source location, not just those locations now listed as infested.
    • We encourage the consideration of a temporary quarantine of all materials shipped into the county. .
    • We believe that the most effective strategy to exclude GWSS is one that engenders support from the broadest spectrum of community and agricultural interests. The possibility of forced synthetic pesticide spraying has generated significant public opposition based on health and privacy concerns. This opposition diminishes the level of cooperation required to effectively monitor and control the GWSS. Therefore, we recommend that forced spraying of synthetic pesticides be replaced with a mandatory abatement program that gives individuals organic, synthetic and mechanical control options.
    • We encourage residents of Sonoma County to buy local nursery products, thus lessening the dependence on products that may be shipped into the county containing the GWSS. We encourage countywide education to buy local products, and policies that promote local nursery production
  • We believe that Organic Farmers must have an organically approved pesticide to use if they are required to abate the GWSS. The organic pesticide must be approved under the rules of the California Organic Foods Act of 1990 and the USDA National Organic Program.
    • We request that the highest priority be placed on identifying existing pesticides that are approved for use on organic crops which are also effective against the life stages of the GWSS. The option to use these pesticides needs to be established before an infestation makes treatment necessary.
  • We request that Information be prepared and disseminated to each organic farm and interested individuals in the County of Sonoma. The information should include:
    1. A flow chart of events triggered by the Agricultural Commissioner's finding of a need to abate GWSS. This chart would include which specific pesticides will be used for any necessary abatement treatments.
    2. A list of the choices an organic farm or resident may make in the pesticides to be applied.
    3. Notice of who shall do the application of the pesticide.
    4. When such pesticide applications may be allowed to stop.
    5. Who shall bear the cost of the pesticide and the cost of its application?
    6. If there is no approved organic option, how will the farmer receive compensation for the loss of ability to sell the crop or for reduction in price if a market can be found for the crops?
    7. The information disseminated must explain the consequences to the farmer if a non-organic pesticide is used. Farmers need to know what their legal organic status will be after the application of a non-organic pesticide. Will the current crop be considered organic? Will the next crop? Will the farm itself be considered organic? Under the State of California Organic Foods Act? Under the USDA Federal Organic Program?
  • We feel that public education should be given the highest priority. Residents, gardeners, and landscapers need to have detailed information about the GWSS and its potential impact on the community if it becomes established. They also need to have complete information on what may happen if GWSS life stages are found in their neighborhoods. They need to be informed in advance of the treatment options available, including any organic or less toxic options.
  • The County of Sonoma should immediately establish a voluntary registry for citizens who may be irreparably damaged by the application of pesticides near their homes or businesses. The registry should be consulted before any abatement treatment is undertaken. Registered individuals need to be given advance notice, and their particular needs accommodated.

    Our North Coast Chapter recognizes this situation is quite complex and challenging. We commend the Agricultural Commissioner's ability to successfully exclude the pest for a year through diligent inspection and monitoring. We also appreciate the efforts and discussion fostered by concerned community, environmental, and grapegrower groups. A more collaborative approach to control the GWSS is emerging. We believe a county plan with the broadest possible public and industry support will be the most effective in controlling the pest. We support all cooperative efforts to develop a comprehensive, fair strategy to control the GWSS. CAFF would like to see collaborative recommendations incorporated into our counties' workplan. Our North Coast Chapter remains available to assist in the challenges that lie ahead.

    *** posted at www.caff.org***

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